patrikpen: Love and Fredom in Music and Vision 30 October

giovedì 29 dicembre 2016

Love and Fredom in Music and Vision 30 October

Love and Freedom

Beethoven's 'Fidelio',
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

Ludwig van Beethoven's well-known opera Fidelio needs no introduction. I recently reviewed productions at La Scala (The Ambiguity of Fidelio, 13 December 2014) and in Florence (Troubles in Florence, 2 May 2015). Both were fully staged productions: the former a brand new co-production with Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden; the latter, the revival of a successful 2003 Valencia Opera House production. Even though Fidelio is a Singspiel with long dialogues in German, it is often performed in Italy.

In his capacity as music director and principal conductor of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano decided to begin the Academy's 2016-2017 symphonic season with Fidelio in concert form. I was at the 20 October 2016 opening night. Pappano has a very strong dramatic temperament and, in my view, is better suited as an operatic than a symphonic conductor. The production was exclusively a concert version: the soloists and chorus wore evening dress. There was no stage direction, even though a few singers, accustomed to acting, could not resist fully interpreting their characters.

Sebastian Holecek as Don Pizzarro and Günter Groissböck as Rocco in Beethoven's 'Fidelio' in Rome. Photo © 2016 Musacchio & Ianniello

In my opinion, because the production was in concert form, an important opportunity was missed: that of performing Fidelio uncut and unabridged, since in Italy it is traditionally shown with major cuts in the spoken parts. I think that spoken moments and even silence have a function in operas like Fidelio. Thus, it would be an interesting rarity to propose Fidelio as spoken and sung in Germany and in many other countries rather than in the version traditionally seen and heard here. As the traditional Italian version was chosen, also the Leonore No 3 Overture was performed in between the first and second scenes of Act II. This is a device originally proposed by Gustav Mahler for a purely practical reason: to allow changing sets from the dark jail scene to the sunny courtyard scene. It is, no doubt, a magnificent piece capturing the entire opera and its key musical themes; it also symbolises the ascent from darkness to light and from chains to freedom. Nonetheless, without the need to change sets, I would have preferred to leave it as a separate concert piece as Beethoven himself did.

In spite of these general comments and a few remarks on the principals' voices, the production was very good. Under Pappano's baton, the orchestra resounds to its full splendor. Similarly, under Ciro Visco's direction, the chorus becomes a full protagonist in the prisoners' scene in Act I and the second part of Act II. Pappano holds a perfect equilibrium between Fidelio's two main themes — conjugal love and an ethical striving for freedom. The depth of his heart is very Latin, so as a consequence less suited to the first part, which is almost a Mozart/Da Ponte play about the love of the jailer's daughter for the new boy who has just joined the prison staff.

Antonio Pappano conducting Beethoven's 'Fidelio' in Rome. Photo © 2016 Musacchio & Ianniello

There are some problems with the two protagonists's voices: Simon O'Neill (Florestan) exaggerated, keeping the register quite high; he is an astute professional and knows how to avoid the hardest parts. I do not know whether Rachel Willis-Sørensen will ever be able to be an effective all round Leonore; she is a light lyric soprano and at moments such as the great aria Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin? makes major efforts without significant results. Leonore's role requires a soprano successfully experienced in at least two of the three Wagnerian Brünnhilde roles.

On the other hand, Amanda Forsythe (Marzelline), Maximilian Schmitt (Jaquino), Sebastian Holecek (Don Pizzarro), Günter Groissböck (Rocco) and Julian Kim (Don Fernando) were all excellent.